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Introduction to Qin'ae
I have not told half of what I saw. -- Marco Polo Well, welcome to the Middle Kingdom. While I was developing Phaeselis for play (and for publication) I made a strange, and mysterious allusion to the lands to the Far East. The Middle Kingdom. While I originally planned for Xianguo to be a mythical place for the adventurers not to visit, it became necessary to fill this place out. Unlike Frank Carr, though, I didn't feel that there was a dearth of Far Eastern settings for the 3rd Edition of the Dungeons and Dragons game. Quite the opposite. Kara-tur and Rokugan of Legend of the Five Rings filled the bill. However, both settings were based on Japan, and I've been playing Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom a lot and felt that there should be a roleplaying game based on Ancient China. China has the richest history and the best martial art films, the Chanbara ''genre not withstanding of Japanese films (anime really does go over the top!). However, ''Kara-tur has been out of print for two decades, and a typical Legend of the Five Rings fan will look at you cross-eyed (at best, argue with you at worst) if you don't use the'' Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game '' to play in Rokugan. So, an overview. Overview The Middle Kingdom is a land of Seven Rivers, forming into 14 provinces between each one. Each province is patroned by a particular animal of the Zodiac, with two ruled by Yin and Yang. The Emperors of the Zhou Dynasty had ruled the lands peacefully from their capital at Chang'an until corruption in the government had caused the Middle Kingdom's inner turmoil to collapse. As a result, the Emperor has become a puppet of the government and each of the 14 regions have become their own states ruled by a Warlord. The feudal nature of the government allows for ironically better freedom. As the fuedal nature went on, Alexander came and conquered the Province of the Ox and proceeded to Hellenize it. The Hellene Devil was eventually chased out back to the West and the Province of the Ox was returned to it's normal culture within twenty years, as the Hellenic culture was driven out and edicted not to be observed by the new Ox Warlord. Despite this, it's a new era of Freedom and prosperity. In time, the Chaos in the Land produced by a weak Emperor and Imperial Government will grow weary on the people and they will demand new order and a new Supreme Government. However, this new Mandate of Heaven for Xianguo allows the people to expand and form colonies as several Warlords are looking for new places into which to expand. They send pioneers southward to start afresh in lands that have not been explored. Also, many Philosophers and scholars are coming up with new philosophies and new ways of looking at the world. However, not is all idyllic in the land of Qin'ae during a time of Springs and Autumns. Bandits travel the lands of the middle kingdom, waylaying travelers for their supposed taxes: which could be anything from money, to their wives, to their lives. Monsters infest the wild places and mountains. And barbarians from the North and the Desert lust for the lush farming grounds of the Land. Beyond, to the south, is the Kingdom of Ogres. A kingdom of giants and spirits who don't know the meaning of the word Civilization; threaten everything that Huangti -- the Yellow Emperor -- laid down. This is the land of the Middle Kingdom. Category:Player's Guide Category:Introduction